a little bird told me
by thescriptwelder
Summary: Everyone knows about the Golden Trio, always in the spotlight. But nobody knows about the group who did their work quietly. A thoughtful Gryffindor. A blunt Ravenclaw. A shy Hufflepuff. A chaotic Slytherin. These four come together by complete coincidence, and end up embarking on their own morally grey journey against the Edge—err, Dark Lord.
1. sing some cradle songs

...

to start at the beginning.  
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**LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN  
FALLING DOWN  
FALLING DOWN  
LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN  
MY FAIR LADY  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++**

He remained silent. He had to. He couldn't break the rules again. _Break the rules,_ his father had said, _and we'll break you_. His father always kept his promises. To him, at least. Other times, he acted as if he was blessed by Loki, his silver tongue showed no bounds. He lied and lied, and nobody ever doubted his father.

Until, one day, he was taken away. That day, his mother had no expression, as the man with the strange eyes took his father away. That man wasn't a hero, not by any means. That man wasn't kind, he did bad for good, always for good. _No matter_, the boy thought, because regardless of whether the man was good or bad, light or dark, that man was his saviour, and he'd never forget his saviour's name.

His father tried to fight, of course. Pavol Klement was a liar, first and foremost, but if his lies didn't work, he could very well be a fighter. This, the boy knew. His father tried his best, but his best, fortunately, was not enough. Not enough to defeat this man who had captured those like Pavol, killed those like Pavol, and have taken down people much worse, much more dangerous than he.

He couldn't stop the tears from falling. Not because he was saddened by his father's capture. No, he simply couldn't contain his relief. His father had been _toxic_, though his mother was not much better. For once in his life, the scars beneath his clothes no longer ached. Not for long.

His mother, her face revealing nothing of her emotions, was still. She looked like a doll. Beautiful, delicate, heartless, and cold. A shiver of fear had crawled up his spine at the thought of her rage at his father being captured.

Pavol Klement may have been dangerous, but Angelica Klement was much angrier, much more terrifying than he. For she was a warrior before she was a liar, and she was _fierce_.

When he was seven, his worst fear had disappeared. Luckily, his other tormentor's spirit left along with him.

He saw his first glimmer of hope. He didn't see it again.

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**HICKORY DICKORY DOCK  
THE MOUSE RAN UP THE CLOCK  
THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE  
THE MOUSE RAN DOWN  
HICKORY DICKORY DOCK  
+++++++++++++++++++++++**

They told her to run. They told her it was like hide and go seek. They told her it was a game. They told her to wait for at least three hours before she came out.

It was midnight when they woke her up and told her that. She was still waiting for them to come to find her. She was still hiding in the attic. It's been hours. She's hungry. She wants food. She's scared.

So, so scared.

They told her it was a game. She knew they were lying. She knew it wasn't a game.

It started to smell funny. She thinks it might've been almost a day.

She wondered why they lied to her. Her parents don't lie. Never. Not to her. They always joked that they couldn't lie because of their scarves. Yellow and black. It wasn't yellow and black. It was green, she saw it, and it was green. Green.

Her parents always told her stories, about the castle. It had ghosts, and talking pictures, and moving staircases. They told her it was like another home. She wanted to go there, like her parents, and get a scarf like theirs. Yellow and black.

She heard a scream. Instinctively she called out, maybe it was one of her parents?

It was her mommy's mean friend who wasn't so mean anymore. Her mommy's friend took her away.

But she saw their parents. They were green, like the light. Their eyes were scary.

She puked.

She was too young. Only eight. Too young.

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**TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR  
HOW I WONDER WHAT YOU ARE  
UP ABOVE THE WORLD SO HIGH  
LIKE A DIAMOND IN THE SKY  
+++++++++++++++++++++++**

The Piersons were average. Normal. Sure, the maternal side was much more badass than the paternal side, but that wasn't quite "weird". They were normal.

Their eldest daughter was, decidedly, _not_. When she had tantrums, things would blow up. When she was happy, the candy would rain from the ceiling. When she was sad, people turned pink.

They were a close-knit family. Their extended family lived not a block from them. They had to come up with creative solutions for when she'd have her..._moments_.

She was their star. She shined so brightly. They knew she'd have a bright future.

Their little star.

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**ROSES ARE RED  
VIOLETS ARE BLUE  
SUGAR IS SWEET  
AND SO ARE YOU  
++++++++++++++**

His father left when he was young. His mother, Emerson Dempsey, simply said that she didn't know where he was going, but hoped that he'd see the devil there.

His mother was a kind, kind woman. She raised beautiful creatures. Some had horns, others had feathers, others scales, she loved them all. She taught him to love them too. She taught him love, patience, beauty, and so much more.

She was so kind.

But he looked just like his father.

And even she couldn't resist the small flinch when she saw _that man_ instead of her son.

That hurt.

But she was his mother. So kind, sweet, and beautiful...

He loved her regardless.

_As they sat together, he could see the caution in everyone's eyes._

_He knew they'd all seen pain. They'd been hurt._

_That's the only reason why he'd stick around for this particular train wreck._

**Author's Note:**

heheh... yeah, i'm switching things up. this thing, i actually drew up a plot. most of the time i kind of just...wing it.

as you can see, i don't know how to prologue, but hopefully this is good enough.

i hope it serves it's purpose in giving them backstory.

and yes, i know i only used pronouns for them. that's because i want to see if i'm good enough that you'll end up figuring out who's who.


	2. see a stranger

...

a good friend is hard to find.

She was a strange sight. She caught the eyes of many, with her boyish looks, neon green hair, and rebellious pixie cut. Not to mention she was young, tall for her age, standing at around 5 feet, but undeniably young. No older than eleven years old. She carried a bag on her back that seemed almost larger than her, and a small black cat was perched upon her head, blinking its green eyes lazily.

A thoughtful look appeared on her face, as she looked down at the ticket she held in her hand. _Nine and three quarters_, she mouthed, as she thought back to a time when she excitedly thought about this day, how she'd hug her parents' goodbye, they would be proud. Her father would miss her, but smile. Her mother would make sure she'd be prepared for the real world, giving her a rare hug. She was younger then.

She notices a quite pretty, though a little chubby, girl around her age. She had gorgeous chocolate skin and wavy dark brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. Large glasses framed her eyes—and _oh_, her eyes. They were a beautiful green that seemed to sparkle. She was clutching a fat white cat in her arms. The short, bespectacled girl seemed quite unsure of herself—obviously lost.

The bright-haired girl wondered if she was perhaps a witch, judging from the way she was wandering around aimlessly, staring at her ticket.

One way to find out.

"Hey, you look a bit lost. I'm Stef, you need some help?" Stef says, tapping the shorter girl on the shoulder.

The girl jumped slightly and whipped around to face Stef, eyes wide. She exhaled and seemed to relax slightly. "Ah, y-you startled me... Um, it's nice to—it's nice to meet you." The girl smiled gently, holding her hand out for Stef to shake. "I'm...I'm Brianna."

Stef gripped her hand and shook it firmly. She grinned at the timid girl. "Nice name! I'm here to go to a boarding school," explains Stef, hoping that if Brianna's a witch, she'll catch on.

Luckily, she did. "Oh, uh, me... me too. The school I'm going to is very reclusive."

"Mine too. It has a pretty funky name. It's called Hogwarts."

Brianna brightened considerably. "Oh, thank goodness." The girl sighs. "I'm so lost. How do you get to the platform?" she questions. "I-I'm new to this..."

"Yeah, muggleborn. I thought so." The taller girl grins. "If I'm remembering correctly..." Stef clasps Brianna's wrist, leading her to a pillar. "You walk through the wall."

Brianna seemed to choke. "Through—_Through the wall?!_" She sputtered incredulously. "W-Well, I suppose that's magic for you..." she mutters.

"If it makes you feel better...I could hold your hand and we could go together," Stef suggests helpfully.

Brianna blushes. "You... Y-Yes please..." she murmurs.

Stef smiles at her, before pausing. "Wait, give me a moment," she says as she carefully takes the kitty perched on her head and places it inside its carrier. It mewls indignantly but doesn't put up a fight.

Brianna smiles gently. "...how cute..."

Stef holds out her hand to Brianna. "Are you ready?"

Brianna shifts her cat into one arm and simply clasps Stef's hand in response.

* * *

_**"**To live will be an awfully big adventure.**"**_

**PETER PAN**

* * *

"Caleb, don't forget to be on time for class. Professor McGonagall is very strict. Oh, and remember to let your owl out once in a while. Write to me every month—no, every week, more often if possible—"

"Mum, you don't have to worry about me!" Caleb smiled excitedly at his mother, who mirrored his expression, though with a tinge of nervousness. "I'll write to you every week, at least, I promise."

"Oh, I can't believe that my little boy is going off to Hogwarts," his mother says wistfully. "I'll miss you so, so much," she tells him.

"I'll miss you too, mum," Caleb responds, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, my little Puffskein," she replies. "I love you more than you know." She pulls away, giving him a proud smile. "It's time we part. I don't want to keep you."

Caleb grins brightly, slowly backing up. "Bye, mum."

The beautiful witch gives him a small wave before disapparating with a crack!

Caleb turns away, picking up his owl's cage, and clutching his case in a stronger grip. He swept his shaggy hair out of his eyes. He set his sights on a blond boy, determined to make at least one friend. He reaches out to tap the boy's shoulder, before someone's hand snaps out and grabs his wrist, pulling him away.

He hears a rough, quiet voice. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. isn't pleasant company."

Caleb looks down to see a short feminine boy, around his age, with black hair that was cut short everywhere, except the bangs, which were almost getting in his eyes. His eyes were a steely blue, seeming to glare up at him despite his impassive expression.

The boy lets go of Caleb, before clearing his throat. "I apologize. My name is—" the boy seemed to hesitate. "—London."

Caleb narrows his eyes slightly at the odd pause, but lets it go. "Uh, apology accepted, I guess. I'm Caleb." Caleb stops for a moment. "Wait, did you say _Malfoy_—?"

"You're catching on," London says, seeming faintly amused, though his facial expression barely changed. "Yes, Draco Malfoy. Lucius's son. A daddy's boy. And, most importantly, a blood purist."

"Ah...thank you..." Caleb mutters. "That would've been disastrous."

London raises his eyebrows. "Well said. Would you like to get on the train, or shall we stand here all day?"

Caleb grinned.

"_Holy shit!_"

_CRASH!_

A girl with bright green hair fell into Caleb, effectively toppling them both over. London would've met the same fate, if he hadn't followed his instincts and stepped backwards.

Behind them was another girl, one arm holding a concerningly largecat, and the other up to her mouth in shock. London quirked a brow.

"Ugh. Sorry 'bout that." The tall girl got up and offers Caleb a hand. "Lost my balance."

Caleb takes her hand and she hauls him up. "Uh... I accept your apology. I'm Caleb. Who're you?"

"Stef. That girl back there's Brianna." Stef gestures to the other girl, who waves timidly.

"Hi..." Brianna smiles shakily.

They all look at London, who just crosses his arms and raises his eyebrows like 'bitch, no' and Caleb coughs awkwardly.

"...uh, that's London," Caleb says after a moment.

London seemed to analyze them before seemingly coming to a decision. "I see. We should board while we're early. I'd rather have a choice of our compartment."

There was a momentary silence before the group simultaneously broke into a grin. Our.

* * *

_**"**Live each day as if it's your last**"**_

**UNKNOWN**

* * *

Once they'd gotten settled—London crossing his legs elegantly and begins reading a tome, Brianna curling up with a notebook, Caleb gracelessly flopping onto a chair and chowing down on some sweets, Steph tapping her fingers on her leg boredly.

London observes the others quietly. As they sat together, he could see the caution in everyone's eyes.

He knew they'd all seen pain. They'd been hurt.

That's the only reason he'd stick around for thisparticular train-wreck.

"Well. This is awkward," Steph states into the silence.

"Yep," Caleb agrees as he shoves a pumpkin pasty in his mouth.

"So..." Brianna starts quietly. "What do y-you guys want to t-talk about?"

"Dunno."

Suddenly, someone opens the door. A boy with slicked-back pale blonde hair pokes his head in. Caleb immediately rolls his eyes. Draco Malfoy, of course.

"Klement," Draco says, addressing London. He casts a disdainful look towards the others. "Are you sure you want to surround yourself with...thesepeople? You know, good friends are hard to find, and I could easily introduce you to some people, better than these blood traitors and filthy mudbloo—"

Stef growls, jolting up. "Why you—"

"I'd like to stop you right there, Mr. Malfoy," London interjects, idly turning a page. "You needn't use slurs to prove your idiotic and virtually nonexistent point. Unless you intend to improve the silence, please—ah, what's the word again. Oh right!" He pauses, pinning the blond with a judgemental look. "Shut up."

Draco was speechless. He'd assumed that London was like him.

He was wrong.

London isn't like anyone.

"It seems like nobody here appreciates your presence. Please, go see the poor sods who had to sit around you before," London hums noncommittally.

Draco glares at him, before turning on his heel and leaving, making sure to slam the door behind him.

"Why is he so pissy..?" London murmurs boredly. "How rude." He flips a page.

"Good job, but I could've handled him, you know," Stef grumbles, as she replaces herself onto her seat.

London raises a brow as he closes his book. "I'm sure you could've." He places the book on his lap. "Quite explosively, in fact."

"You sure told him off," states Caleb, plopping a chocolate frog into his mouth. If he'd said another word, I'd have socked him in the face." He holds up the collectible card that came with the chocolate frog. "Check it, I got Circe."

"Th-Thank you for making him go away..." Brianna looks down. "I was wo-worried about what he might've done..."

"Merlin, you're a muggleborn, aren't you!" Caleb exclaims. "Shite, now I really wish I had the guts to hit the damned brat back then!"

"Right, you're a muggleborn," Stef recalls. "What's it like growing up without magic? Or finding out about it?"

Brianna blinks. "W-Well, finding out wasn't very shocking to anyone of us, really. I-I think my family sort of saw it coming, with all the strange things I'd managed to do."

"Strange things? What kind of strange things?"

"Err... W-Well, I sort of turned my dog pink... a-and made candy fall from the ceiling..."

"Conjuration? The most I've really done with my accidental magic is set my f-f-father's hat on fire."

Caleb smiles in amusement at their avid conversation. "They're getting on nicely," he comments to London.

London crosses his arms. "Yes. Quite surprising, isn't it? With their personalities, you'd think they'd clash."

"Mhm, yes, but enough about them," Caleb leans forward, licking some chocolate from his fingers. "Let's talk about you."

"Oh? And what of me?" The blue-eyed boy asks, vaguely interested.

"Yes, you are quite strange, aren't you? I don't know much of you. From the way Malfoy was acting earlier, you're a pureblood, and yetI've never heard of you."

"I'm sure you've heard of me...just not in the way you think," London states cryptically.

Caleb smirks, clasping his hands together. "Really... But when I met you, there was something really just offabout you. Tell me..." Caleb leans forward, getting into London's space, his voice becoming quiet, a faint whisper. "...Is London even your real name?"

London suddenly leans away, facial expression and body language becoming closed off. His eyes narrowed and became cold.

Caleb pulls away, sighing and relaxing. "I know you're hiding something, but... Well, quite honestly, I don't care. You have a right to your privacy, as long as you don't end up hurting someone." He waves his hand dismissively. "You're your own person. I don't really give a crap, just don't be stupid. I won't pry."

The dark haired boy blinks, somewhat surprised. "...Really? I was...not expecting that." He pauses, looking away. "...Thank you."

Caleb grins.

Stef suddenly claps her hands together. "So! Question of the day! Which houses do you guys want to be in?"

Brianna frowns, confused. "Um...What are the houses?"

"Well, there's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin," Caleb lists.

"Yeah!" Stef nods. "Gryffindor is for the brave, Ravenclaw for the smart, Hufflepuff for hardworking and loyal, Slytherin for cunning," she explains. "But don't get anything wrong, Gryffindors are impulsive idiots, Ravenclaws are dicks—excuse my french— and Slytherins are all pretty much dark wizards."

"Dark wizards?" Brianna questions.

"Yeah. Bad guys."

"Excuse me, but you are being very stereotypical," interrupts London. "Gryffindors are brave, yes, but that doesn't mean they're all stupid. There has to be some people who embody the stereotype for the stereotype to exist, but you are brashly labelling people, and all people are different.

"Ravenclaws aren't mean, they can be very kind, even funny. They aren't nerds or arrogant, they are curious and they simply value learning above all else. I, personally, think I might end up in Ravenclaw

"Hufflepuffs also have a stereotype; that they're pushovers or leftovers, but that's not true. They are kind and value loyalty and hardwork above all. I wish that I could become a Hufflepuff.

"And finally, Slytherins aren't bad. It means they are resourceful, and able to survive, and are ambitious and strive for great things. Every house is good in different ways. There is no bad house, nor is there a best house."

"Well, we just got educated," Caleb mutters.

"You're very insightful, London," compliments Brianna.

Stef yawns. "I'm gonna take a nap now, y'all. Wake me up a bit before we get there so I can change."

London watches as the group quiets, as Brianna withdraws, scribbling in her notebook. As Stef slips off to sleep. As Caleb looks out the window, daydreaming.

They were back to the silence as it had been when they first sat down. Except, it was different. This wasn't the awkward silence as it had been before—no, this time, it was comfortable. They weren't together as four individuals. They were together as a single group.

.

.

.

.

_I swear—this guy is hiding something! Now, I'm going to figure out whatever the hell his secrets, with or without you, before someone gets hurt!_

**Fun fact:**

London is an Asian with blue eyes.


	3. find a new nest

_..._

_the truth is often concealed_.  
_

"Stef!"

Stef jolts into awareness, looking at Caleb with a glare.

Caleb laughs sheepishly. "Ah, sorry. We'll be there in a few minutes. You should change."

Stef blinks as she realizes that the others had already donned their uniforms. She shrugs before taking her jacket off and pulling her long robes over top. "Hey, Brianna, wanna go together? Us girls gotta stick together."

"_Holy-!_ Stef, you're a friggin' _girl!?_" screeches Caleb. Stef winces at the high pitch.

"Uh, yeah," Stef states in a _duh_ voice. "You're fucking loud."

"Language," reprimands London.

"I-I-I..." Brianna stammers, slightly flushed. "I had m-mistaken you for a boy..."

Caleb huffs. "A little warning would've been nice," he mutters bitterly, stuffing his sweets into his pockets.

* * *

The group steps out of the train, being shoved around by the mass amount of students trying to get off the train. They shivered at the cool air, as they attempted to keep steady in the sea of heads.

"Firs' years! Fir's years over here!" A bellowing voice was calling.

London, narrowing his eyes at the loud crowd, grabs the other three. "Stay close," he hisses as he lets go of them. "Stay close, and pay attention," the boy repeats.

Stef pulls her arm away. "Fine, fine, no need to get handsy," she mutters, irritated.

"Firs' years, follow me!"

Caleb gapes as he sees the absurdly large man. "Half-giant," he breathes as he lays eyes on the man who was almost twelve feet tall, easily twice the size of almost everyone.

Stef shoots the blonde a strange look when she feels some grab her hand. She looks back to see that Brianna had taken her hand.

"S-Sorry," the curly-haired girl stutters, "I-I'm j-just nervous..." She begins to pull away when Stef squeezes her hand.

"It's fine."

"C' mon! Follow me- any more firs' years? Mind yer step now, follow me!" The large man leads them down a shady, narrow path.

The trees around them were so thick, it almost seems as if two walls of darkness were closing in on them. Brianna shuddered as she wondered what might be hiding in there. Hardly anyone spoke, only the sound of footsteps and twigs breaking.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the hairy man says, "Jus' round this bend here."

There was a chorus of 'Oooh' as the narrow path opened into a large black lake. On the other side of the lack, perched atop a mountain, was a beautiful and vast fortress, standing tall against the clear night sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" instructs their guide, gesturing to the fleet of boats resting against the shore.

London immediately pulls Caleb, Brianna, and Stef to their own boat, getting settled quickly.

"Quit bossing us around," snaps Stef.

London refuses to acknowledge her. She rolls her eyes.

"Everyone in?" the guide shouts. "Alright, then- FORWARD!"

And so, all the boats set off at once, sailing smoothly across the calm waters.

"Gosh, I'm excited," blurts Caleb energetically. "I wonder what house I'll be in...maybe Hufflepuff?"

"I doubt I would ever be able to get into Gryffindor," confesses Brianna. "I'm scared of a lot of things. I'm not brave at all."

"Bravery is not the absence of fear, rather, it's the courage to continue despite it," states London absentmindedly, as he looks to the sky.

"That's insightful," comments Stef.

"I probably read it somewhere."

"Hm, Ravenclaw for this one," the green-haired Latina teases. "Anyways, I don't know. I want to get into Hufflepuff, but I don't think hardworking and loyal suits me," she ponders. "Maybe Gryffindor? I guess I'll find out."

"Heads down!" yells the large man, as they approach a cliff.

The group obeys, except for London who simply raises a brow. "He's a half-giant," he states dryly. "We aren't as tall as him. He's the only one big enough to get hit by it."

They drifted into a dark tunnel, that seems to have been underneath the castle, and end up at an underground harbour of sorts, where they part from the boats. They then made their way to a door, where the man knocked thrice.

The door swings open, and a tall, stern witch in green robes stood at the opening.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

The Professor then showed them to a small, empty chamber. They cramped in together, uncomfortably close. Brianna brushed her fingers against Stef's hand in question before the taller girl holds the other's hand in a strong grip.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," says Professor McGonagall, though her tone wasn't all that welcoming. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points."

London gives Stef a sharp look. The girl sticks her tongue out.

"At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Brianna nervously fidgets with her hair.

Stef leans towards the dark-haired girl. "You look fine," she whispers, "so quit worrying."

"I shall return when we are ready for," the Professor states. "Please wait quietly."

The moment the door closes behind her, Caleb whips around. "I think this is some sort of test," he states.

"What?" blurts Brianna.

"I agree, although I don't think 'test' is an accurate word," speculates London. "That would assume that we could pass. No, they're judging us. Seeing how we interact."

"They're trying to figure out who the troublemakers might be," realizes Stef.

Suddenly, a plethora of ghosts begin flying through the walls, making Brianna and several others scream in terror.

they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

"I could ask you the same thing," replies London calmly. Several people look at him like he's insane. "We're first, waiting for Professor McGonagall to fetch. Now, I do believe that you are frightening some of my fellow students. Several people here are very new to ghosts and the magical world in general."

"Ah, new students!" the Friar says, delighted, as he smiles brightly at the students. "About to be sorted, from what you were saying, young man!"

A few people nodded, still shellshocked.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" the monk states happily. "My old house, you know!"

"Move along now," someone says sharply. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

It was Professor McGonagall. One by one, the ghosts obeyed, disappearing through the walls.

"Now, form a line and follow me," she instructed sternly.

* * *

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

"What..." began Brianna.

"The..." Caleb blanches.

"Absolute _fuck_?!" Stef gawked.

London shot them a strange look.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

"We-We have t-to sit in front of the whole school," Brianna gasped. She felt as if someone was sitting on her chest. "I-I can't do that."

Someone began rubbing her back, "Hey... breathe. In and out, just like that," they whisper soothingly. "Deep breathes." They keep repeating soothing comments, until she was calm. Brianna realizes it was London.

"She okay?" Stef asks London, who nods.

"Yes. Please make sure she keeps calm and breathing," he informs her.

Brianna feels her face heat up. Did she seriously just do that in public? She felt like a little kid.

"Dempsey, Caleb!" Professor McGonagall calls.

Caleb freezes.

Stef pats his back encouragingly. "Your house will be great!" she pauses. "Unless it's Slytherin."

"How reassuring," he quips back sarcastically.

Caleb feels his body choppily moving to the stool. As the hat flops over his eyes, he hears a voice.

_"Oh? Caleb Dempsey, I remember your father. How could I forget him, after all he's accomplished?"_

_Shut up. Don't you dare talk about that man, or I will _end_ you. _The blond feels his heart stutter. You don't know anything.

"_His mind was such an interesting place... all the fantasies in his head... he certainly did have a strange fascination with blood, even back then_" The hat stops. "_Based on that alone, I wouldn't need your memories to figure out what he's done—or is going to do with your mother—_"

_He won't touch her_. Caleb feels his body heating up. His fists we clench on the stool, knuckles white.

_"Oh? You're so sure, even with what he said? Quite an ambitious goal you have... perhaps you belong in Slytherin—"_

_No! I will _never_ be anything like him, and that would just be following in his fucking footsteps._

_"Oh, I was just riling you up. I suppose... Hufflepuff, then?"_

_As much as I love my mother, I'd rather not be like her either._

_"I see...with this courageous conversation, I know where to put you..."_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Caleb flinches as the crowd starts cheering, and light floods his vision. The table, he notices, has an abundance of redheads.

"Finch-Fletchey, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Finnegan, Seamus!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Granger, Hermione!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

McGonagall pauses, peering at the list with an odd look on her face. She beckons someone who London recognizes as Dumbledore over, and the two have a short, hushed conversation.

The hall burst into quiet, confused whispers as Dumbledore backs away. Professor McGonagall clears her throat.

"Klement, London!"

London, who, Caleb saw, was tense, relaxed slightly. He approaches the hat in swift, confident strides.

The hat flops over his eyes, and he tunes out the students' musings of what had happened with Dumbledore and McGonagall.

_"You've—"_

_Before we begin_, London interrupts, you needn't bring up the past. _I don't particularly care where I end up, but I would ask not to be in Slytherin._

_"Do not interrupt me, Len—"_

_Shut—_, London stops himself. _That person, the one you were about to refer to? She is _dead_. I know she is dead. You needn't speak her name._

_"Your mother—"_

His jaw clenched painfully. _Don't. Do not. You don't know anything—_

_"I know about what your mother did to you in that cold, wet, place. I know how you felt. I know how every word, every burn—"_

London's breath shudders. _Stop. Please_. His eyes sting and burn painfully, his chest tightening—, _I'm... crying_. He realized slowly.

_"Slytherin would've suited you well. You are just like your father—"_

London violently throws the hat and wraps his arms around his head as if protecting himself.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat screams, though London barely hears him.

Someone touches him and he flinched heavily, shaking. He glances up, for a moment seeing a woman with long hair and slanted eyes, but is quickly replaced by Professor McGonagall.

_You are just like your father_, a cold voice hisses. His back _burns_. Just like _him_, like that man, _evil_ like him, cunning like him. Wet streaks run down his face, as the air becomes scarce. Every intake of oxygen felt like _glass_ down his throat.

"D-_Don't_," he chokes out, curling in on himself. He can't—he can't _breathe_! "Please..." His stomach aches. He feels nauseous, his vision waving and blurring and for a flash, he sees a man, charming and handsome and brutal.

"Professor Flitwick, please escort him out." He hears.

_Out? Where? What did he do? Was he in trouble?_

His jaw throbs, eyes sting, throat aches.

_Not again._

_"Angelica, escort it out," hissed a dark voice._

_"Please, don't" a child begged, voice raw. "Mother, help!"_

_Nobody heard the child's cries._

_Not again._

Brianna's heartaches as she sees London's slow breakdown. Sympathy runs through her. Her eyes squeeze shut, brow furrowing until Flitwick takes London.

"The sorting will continue. Mr. Klement is simply ill," Professor McGonagall lies. Brianna knows that that was not an illness. Not a physical one.

The sorting continues, not much of interest, other than a boy who accidentally ran off with the hat, and Malfoy, who entered Slytherin without any delay.

Until finally;

"McKendrick, Stef!"

The girl in question crosses her arms and stands tall and confident. The hat is placed upon her head, and she gets a distinct impression that the hat was a douchebag.

_"Hm, you have an interesting past..."_

She shrugs. _Not really. Lotsa kids have had similar things happen._

_"I see. You're quite confident and brave, perhaps you would fit in quite well with Gryffindor..."_

_Nope_, Stef scowls, _Gryffindors are _fools_. I may be impulsive, but I am no fool._

_"Gryffindor doesn't quite suit you."_

_Come on, cut the foreplay. Just put me in a house that _does_ suit me. It's literally your job._

_"In that case..."_

"SLYTHERIN!"

Stef freezes. "Aw, fuck, _those_ bastards?"

Brianna fidgets nervously. All the people she knows were scattered into different houses.

There weren't many people left now. "Moon"..., "Nott"..., "Parkinson"..., then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"..., then "Perks, Sally-Anne"... then-

"Pierson, Brianna!"

"Pre-" Brianna immediately shuts her mouth, this wasn't _attendance._ She slouches slightly, picking at the skin by her nails. Soon, the hat blocks her sight of the hall.

"_Well, this is simple._"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Brianna jolts, clumsily taking the hat off and stumbling to the Hufflepuff table. As she sits, someone smiles at her.

"Hello, I'm Cedric Diggory," the boy says.

"Oh, B-Brianna. Pierson. Brianna P-Pierson."

* * *

"Potter, Harry!"

At the name, Stef glances up with a frown. She analyses the boy, a small boy with ugly round glasses and wild hair, who stumbles nervously on the way to the stool and immediately dismisses him. He is a child. Weak. She has no reason to waste time on some famed weakling.

Caleb looks up eagerly. "Harry Potter?" he breathes, and as he sees the boy he is...dissappointed. Just a normal kid. He blinks. "Well, I hope he's nice..."

A boy next to him seems to hear him. "Ha! You tryin' to be Potter's friend? As if he'd ever associate with some nobody with hair like _that_" he looks pointedly at the shoulder-length, shaggy hair atop Caleb's head.

The blond rolls his eyes. "No need to take out your insecurities on me."

Brianna pauses at the murmurs across the hall. "What's going on?"

"What's going- _Harry Potter is being sorted!_"

"Who's Harry Potter?"


	4. make first impressions

...

_so it begins._

—

"Who's Harry Potter?!" Cedric exclaims, making Brianna blink, "He's only the person who defeated You-Know-Who!"

"You-Know-Who..?"

"Yeah! Although, he was just a baby when he did it, but he still did it, so he's super famous! He saved the wizarding world!" Cedric rambles energetically.

"Uhm, who-who's You-Know-Who?"

Cedric pauses. "Right, you're a Muggleborn. Sorry, uh, he's basically this criminal who was trying to take over the world. He believed that only purebloods should exist and that muggles are useless and stuff, so he went to try to kill all the muggles and muggleborns. Nobody ever says his name. You just don't," he explains.

Brianna hums. "I-I see..." She observes the boy, who was nervously clutching the stool. _He's only a boy,_ she thinks, _a kid like me_.

* * *

"Welcome to Slyth—"

Stef glares at the boy who spoke to her. "'Welcome to Slytherin, bla bla bla'— I don't care about whatever recruitment pitch you got for me, babe," she mutters stiffly.

"Aggressive. I am Blaise—"

"And I couldn't care less," interrupts Stef bluntly. "I just want my fuckin' food, dude."

Blaise raises a brow. "You're vulgar," he states distastefully.

"And you're still talking." She finally looks at the boy with an irritated expression. "You don't seem to be understanding me. Shut up."

"It's idiotic to brush off a useful resource."

"Hun, if I were smart, I'd be in Ravenclaw," she smiles cruelly, "and if you were useful, I'd care about you." She pauses. "Oh, and no offence."

"That's still offensive," he points out.

"The truth hurts, sweetheart." Stef turns to face Dumbledore, who had gotten to his feet.

"Welcome," he says, "welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are; Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

As the crowd cheers, Stef blanches. "He crazy."

Blaise looks at Stef oddly. "He's the most powerful wizard in the world."

"Doesn't mean he ain't crazy."

* * *

"Giraffe," a brunet boy spits, "you're too tall. You're a giraffe. It's freaky."

Caleb stared at the boy blankly.

"And you're hair," a different boy with green eyes says, "it's disgusting."

"Way too long."

"He needs a haircut." The green-eyed one tilts his head. "Why isn't he saying anything?"

"Oh, don't tell me he's a _coward!_" The first boy rolls his eyes. "You aren't a coward, are you?"

"Yeah, you're a Gryffindor, aren't you?"

"Wimps don't belong in Gryffindor." The brunet smiles at him cruelly. "What's your name, coward?"

Caleb doesn't say anything.

A third boy jumps in. "Hey, back off him, will you?" This boy was older than them, at least sixteen, with red hair.

The green-eyed boy keeps quiet, but the other ignores him.

"Hey, giraffe, what's your name?"

"Leave him alone," states the redhead.

The idiot quiets down.

Caleb shoots a fake smile at the brunet. "You were brought up in a competitive family, weren't you? Orphaned, most likely, and you have multiple siblings who bully and boss you, causing you to have issues with authority, and take out your rage and insecurity at being...weak? On other people.

"And you," Caleb says, addressing the other bully, "you're just tagging along, aren't you? You two have known each other since before Hogwarts-neighbours? Childhood friends? You're bullied around by the insecure imbecile, so you just do what he says. Likely partially because of your loyalty. You'd have done better in Hufflepuff, I bet. But, the other boy got sorted before you, right? So you asked to be in the same house as him?

"Am I wrong?"

The two boys stare at him.

The insecure idiot shakes his head. "No, Eric helps me because he likes me. He has fun with me. And my sisters aren't the bosses of me, I can do whatever I want. They can't boss me around, they're _girls,_" he sneers.

Caleb raises a brow. "Wow. I'm not gonna even bother to point out the sexism in that sentence; it's so blatantly wrong that even a blind man could see it."

The redhead glares at the insecure, idiot _sexist_ before him. "My mother would beat you for saying that. She's the strongest man I know."

The lackey butts in. "Mike, we should stop."

"Eric," the sexist boy- Mike- says. "Shut it."

"Your friend's the smart one, I'd bet," the redhead quips.

Mike glowers.

"Mike, _please_, don't," Eric pleads.

"Fine."

"Move," the redhead demands."

"What?"

"Move. Get out of my sight."

Eric sighs. "Mikey, please. Leave it."

Mike growls before getting to his feet, retreating with a forceful stride. Eric smiles apologetically, before scurrying after his friend.

The redhead sighs. "Was that harsh?"

Caleb blinked. "Are you talking to me?"

The older boy barked a laugh. "Yeah, who else?"

The blonde pauses. "I dunno, an imaginary friend?"

"As if." The teen chuckles. "Name's Charlie. Charlie Weasley. What about you?"

"Caleb Dempsey."

Charlie grins. "Well, nice to meet you, kid. Tell me if those bigots bother you again; I'll sic my little brothers onto them."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. My little twin brothers are bloody devils, I'd say. Wherever they go, chaos follows. Or, rather, they _are_ chaos." He chuckles. "Little pranksters they are."

"Ah. I have a little sister."

"So do I! How old is she?"

"Well, more like I'm _going_ to have a little sister. It'll be a while yet, though."

"Ooh, exciting. Well, mine's almost your age. She'll be attending Hogwarts next year."

"So," Caleb says. "What year are you? Clearly not a first year.

Charlie smiles. "Clearly not. I'm in my last year, actually. I'll be gone after this one."

"Huh. What are you going to do after?"

"Dragonology. Hands down."

Caleb blinks slowly. "...Dragons. Not a lot of people have the guts to do that!" Caleb grins. "My favourite is the Chinese Fireball! They're pretty clever," he gushes. His smile falls off his face. "Ah...but, didja know that the mortality rate for dragonologists is pretty high?"

"Yeah, I do. Did plenty of research a while back. Started an apprenticeship in summer. I'll be going back after I graduate."

"Back where?"

"Romania."

"Huh. I have no clue where that is."

Charlie beams. "Pretty far, I'll tell you that."

* * *

"Oh, you're awake."

London blinks. "Who are you."

"Madame Pomfrey, the matron." The woman sat next to him. "I had to magically induce a state of unconsciousness so you would calm down. Is there some type of medical condition you have that we're unaware of?"

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's mundane, barely an issue," he lies easily.

"Oh, do you take me for an idiot? Even if most of wizarding kind ignores muggle discoveries, I do check in from time to time. I'm well aware that it's a...mental illness, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What could I do to aide you? That episode was part of it, correct? How can we avoid this happening again?"

"I can handle it, ma'am," London states coolly. "I am perfectly capable of handling myself," he lies once more.

"I understand that you are independent, Klement, but please-" the woman stops herself, sighing. "You know what? Fine. However, could we speak about the other condition you've informed us of, the one regarding your-"

"With all due respect- which is none, by the way- back off."

London then resolutely shut his mouth.

* * *

Charlie and Caleb chatted until the prefect, Percy, took the first years away.

Caleb ended up sharing a room with the two bullies from before- Mike and...Eric, was it?

"Yeah..." Eric smiles hesitantly. "If you _really_ want to, you can call me Rob. Eric is my middle name."

Caleb raises his eyebrows skeptically. "And people just call you by your middle name?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"Okay." Caleb shrugs.

"Hey, Giraffe." Mike scowls. "My _friends_ call me Mike. _You_ call me Michael."

"Sure thing, Michael."

"Alright, _Dumb_-sey."

"Ah. Dempsey, Dumb-sey, I get it. _Very_ funny. _Much _wow," the blond deadpans.

Michael glares at him before sharply turning and unpacking.

"Don't mind him," says Eric. "He's not _really_ that mean. He's just hurt."

"I know. Doesn't mean I gotta like it."

"Can you _please_ just- just give him a chance?"

"It's not like you were exactly discour-"

"Dumb-sey, you bugging Er?" Michael questions sharply. "You cross him, you cross _me_, we clear?"

Caleb puts his hands up placatingly. "Crystal."

* * *

Stef stares blankly at the gossiping girls in front of her.

"My name's Marcia Strobel, minor Pureblood," one of the girls says. She was gorgeous. Her hair was a pale blonde, parted in the middle and pulled back into twin braids. Her eyes were stormy gray, framed by long lashes. She had milky white skin, and an aristocratic air to her. She smiles prettily. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"I'm Min Choi," a cute girl chirps with a vague lilt. She was a small Asian girl, with wide doll-like eyes and porcelain skin. Her ebony hair was pulled back into a tight elegant braid. "I'm a Halfblood," she adds quietly as if sharing a secret.

"Hello, I am Simone Horowitz," a quiet girl with a no-nonsense aura speaks. She had golden blonde hair and blue eyes, framed by square glasses. Her fair skin was speckled with freckles, and her mouth tilted downwards in a frown. "Pureblood of the House of Horowitz."

They all look to Stef.

"Uh..." Stef blinks. "Stef. McKendrick."

Simone raises a brow. "What of your blood status?"

Stef's eyes narrow. "What of it?"

The ocean-eyed girl frowns.

"Now, I suppose that status doesn't take much imperative at the moment, now does it?" Marcia interjects smoothly. "May I propose that we state our strengths?"

Min blinks, fidgeting with the green sheets of her bed. "Why?"

"Is it not obvious?" Simone says, crossing her arms. "She wants to see if it'd be worth allying with us."

Marcia smiles elegantly. "Of course. I commend your observational skills, Simone. With the Gryffindors set against us by principle, and the other houses distrusting us, the only _truly_ reliable and possible comrades left are those of this house."

"As much as I _despise_ working with teams, I believe you're correct."

"Well, _I_ don't trust you," Stef states bluntly. She pauses, weighing her options. "I'm good at messing with people- screwing with their heads, sabotage."

Marcia beams- well, she smiles in a pleased manner. "I'm talented at creating connections. I have a fairly well social network for my age, and a reliable security web if necessary."

Simone closes her eyes. "I'm adequate at support and trickery, if necessary. I must say that I am adept at research."

"Well," Min trails off thoughtfully. "I'm good at making friends! And, maybe misleading them-on _accident_, of course."

"So," Stef says, "We got an asshole, a suck-up, a nerd, and a con." The rebellious girl shrugs. "Not bad."

"Must you word it in such a vulgar manner?" Simone questions irritably.

"To be honest? _Yes_."

* * *

"Hiya! I'm Maisy, and this is Tamsin! It's nice to meetcha!"

The girl, Maisy, smiles cheerily at Brianna.

"Um," Brianna starts shyly, "I-I'm Brianna..."

"Maisy, you're scaring the kid," reprimands a different girl, Tamsin. She had curly rust-coloured hair, kept out of her eyes by a hairclip. Her eyes were brown like amber, and she had scars all over her pale face. She had a patch of white medical tape on her cheek and a bandaid on her nose.

"Shut it, Tammy!" Maisy pouts. She had straight strawberry blonde hair which went to her chin, and glasses framed her chocolate eyes. "Why didja call her 'kid'? She's the same age as us!"

Tamsin rolls her eyes. She then sticks her hand out towards Brianna. "I'm Tamsin Brett. Let it be known that Maisy Collins may be an idiot, but she's a nice idiot, so give her a chance."

Brianna smiles hesitantly. "Okay," she says as she shakes Tamsin's hand.

"I hope we become good friends."

* * *

London closes his eyes as he ascends up the stairs.

"I'm Prefect Robert Hilliard, and I'm delighted to welcome you to RAVENCLAW HOUSE. Our emblem is the eagle, which soars where others cannot climb. The windows of our common room look down at the school grounds. No other house in the school has such stunning views.

"Without wishing to boast, this is the house where the cleverest witches and wizards live. Our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, prized learning above all else – and so do we. Unlike the other houses, who all have concealed entrances to their common rooms, we don't need one. The door to our common room lies at the top of a staircase. It has no handle, but an enchanted knocker. When you rap on the door, this knocker will ask you a question, and if you can answer it correctly, you are allowed in. This simple barrier has kept out everyone but Ravenclaws for nearly a thousand years—"

London stares blankly at the space beside the Prefect's head. He stifles a yawn inconspicuously.

"-I think that's nearly everything. Oh yes, our house ghost is the Grey Lady. The rest of the school thinks she never speaks, but she'll talk to Ravenclaws. She's particularly useful if you're lost, or you've mislaid something.

"I'm sure you'll have a good night. Our dormitories are in turrets off the main tower; the sound of the wind whistling around the windows is very relaxing.

"And once again: well done on becoming a member of the cleverest, quirkiest and most interesting house at Hogwarts."

London thinks about how Ravenclaw may react to his display during the sorting. He'd better brace himself for the worst.

"Thank you, Prefect," London says politely. "Please take care of me."

The Prefect nods and knocks on the Ravenclaw knocker.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind."

The Prefect opens his mouth—

"Footsteps," London states dully and the door swings open. He makes his way in easily, as most of the first years stop to stare and whisper. "The dormitories are behind the statue, correct?"

"Yes. Girls are to the left, boys to the right."

London's jaw twitches.

* * *

**A/N:** _I sincerely apologize for the distinct lack of interesting things happening. It'll all pick up soon, I swear!_

_Also, I sorta just copied the Pottermore welcome thing and edited some stuff out so it wasn't so lengthy._

_Edit: Decided to merge chapters together._


	5. don't forget to say hello

**Yo, so somebody pointed out that Charlie's not in Hogwarts anymore, and I know that, but he left just before they started and I really wanted Charlie and Caleb to meet :/**

**Also, I'm completely ignoring Hogwarts Mystery because I haven't played it… I'm sorry… ;-;**

**Please indulge me :')**

* * *

...

_not all houses are homes.  
__

He goes to the left.

As he enters his dorm, he avoids eye contact with the other residents.

"Who are you? Don't ignore me."

London doesn't look at the others as he unpacks.

"Hey, new girl, answer me!"

London whips around. "I am _not_ a girl."

The girl who spoke was Asian, she had warm sandy skin contrasting with her dark hair tied into low twin buns. She had an air of elegance and superiority, and if London was a normal boy he'd have been intimidated. "_Well_," the girl speaks, condescension dripping off her words, "this _is_ the _girl's_ dormitory, is it not?"

"Jane, wait." A different girl, an indigenous looking one, tilts her head. "What do you mean?" She addresses London. "I mean, you have a vagina don't you?"

"I _refuse_," London seethes, "to dignify that with a response."

"The point," the other girl, Jane, interjects, "is that you are born _female_, and no matter how tomboyish you are, you will _always_ be a girl." She flicks a stray hair out of her face. "It's simply common knowledge."

There was a pause where all that could be heard was the sound of the wind outdoors.

London bows his head. "Despite what you may think," he starts, "know that you will never have the satisfaction of being correct. Despite my genitals, I am male in every sense of the word."

"Okay _so_, this is awkward. My name is Sofia," the brunette says softly. "Nice to meet you..."

"I wish I could say the same," London snaps sharply. He sighs after a pause. "It's London Klement."

A look of realization crosses Jane's face. "I get it now! You're family lied! There are no twins!"

"Don't—" London struggles to control his tone. "How crude," he says instead. Before he can say anything else, Jane speaks again.

"So London Klement doesn't exist, only Lenka-"

London suddenly starts laughing. Once he calms himself, he grins emptily. "Wow, shut up. If you cannot control yourself—" he pauses to regain composure. "Well, simply don't say anything, I suppose. You don't gain anything from disrespecting me, because I'm not her."

"You, Lenka, are a girl—"

"Okay!" Sofia interrupts loudly. "How about if we can't get along, we just don't talk! Compromise? Please? I really don't fancy sitting around and listening to you two bicker."

"_Finally_," London says with a sigh, "something somewhat intelligent."

* * *

"C-Caleb! Caleb, w-wait up!"

Caleb blinks, coming to a stop as Brianna catches up to him. Her face is somewhat flushed, and she's panting slightly.

"U-Um, hi," Brianna says quietly, now that she's actually facing him. "S-S-So, uh, you know o-our little group? Um, from the train?"

"Yeah."

"S-So, I want to, um, spend time at the library with everyone later..?" Brianna trails off timidly, glancing away from him. "I mean, i-it's been a few weeks since classes started, but w-we haven't spent much time together..?"

Caleb smiles reassuringly. "Yeah, that sounds nice. I have potions with Stef next, so I'll tell her." He pauses thoughtfully. "I don't think I have any more classes with Ravenclaw today, and London's particularly evasive."

Brianna nods. "Th-Thanks, Caleb. I think I have Defense with Ravenclaw this afternoon, so I'll invite him."

"Great. See you in Herbology."

* * *

"'Sup, Caleb," Stef mutters to him from her usual spot on the "Slytherin Side".

"Hey."

"Professor Bitch is doing his thing again," she informs him, scoffing when he gave her a pointed look at the nickname. "Oh, grow up."

Caleb rolls his eyes, watching Snape go to town on Potter, again.

"What did Snape say?" Stef questions, watching Harry's face begin to flush, whether it was from anger, embarrassment or what, Stef didn't know.

"I bet he's just being his jerk self…" Caleb mutters bitterly.

She stands abruptly, her poofy neon hair flopping slightly. "Uh, Professor? Can you lay off Potter? I mean, it's wonderful watching you do your thing, but I'm incredibly eager to learn and I'm just really excited to learn the shrinking potion or whatever."

Caleb buries his face in his hands. "Stef, sit down…" he groans quietly, though, to his surprise, Snape actually backs off, not without a dark glare towards Stef.

Stef smirks cockily, as she falls back onto her chair. "See? I'm friggin' awesome, Dempsey."

Caleb was about to come back with something about her just being Slytherin when—

"Wow, Dumb-sey, real loyal you are, hanging with those suckers," Michael says from a row behind them, next to Eric.

"Jesus, I would too if I were him." Stef scowls. "Who'd want to hang out with you? I'd rather chew off my own foot."

"Silence!" Snape snaps suddenly. "In the back, why are you speaking while I am teaching?"

Stef immediately replies. "Sorry, Professor, that Gryffindor boy was talking about how he was going to sabotage Min's potion, and I was trying to convince him not to."

Immediately, Min perks up from her seat behind Stef. "It's true…" Min says, tilting her head and averting her gaze, a light flush gathering on her cheeks.

Snape scowls. "Negative ten points for Gryffindor."

As Snape turns away and continues his lecture, Stef looks to Min, flashing a thumbs up. Min winks.

"Dude!" Caleb hisses, barely audible.

Stef just puts her hands up in surrender, before laying her head down in a discreet manner.

Typical, Caleb thinks with an exasperated scowl.

* * *

When London came to Hogwarts, he didn't want it to be like this.

Unfortunately, he just _had_ to have a breakdown in front of the school.

Lenka Tatiana Klement; born to Angelica Klement nee Dorjsuren, heiress to the Mongolian pureblood family, the Clan of Dorjsuren, and Pavol Klement of the notorious dark Klement family.

Rumour was that the Klements had two children; twins, a boy and a girl. The girl was well known as Lenka Klement who allegedly became sickly, but the boy was a complete mystery; he didn't talk much outside of pleasantries..

London knew this rumour to be a lie. He was the only child of the Klements; his mother lost her ability to reproduce shortly after he was born. It was a lie spread by his parents, born out of their shame. They didn't want to suddenly pull London out of public activities and give off the impression of weakness, so they lied.

London would go out as a boy and support their lies.

He'd thought he'd be able to avoid attention when he went to Hogwarts, but no.

In Ravenclaw, they either hate him or love him. They either think he's a shame or they support him. No matter what, it was an unspoken rule that nobody would allow anyone to know that London was transgender. The former group to hide their shame, and the latter to save him from bullying. Either way, he was uncomfortable with friends, and so stayed alone.

Outside of Ravenclaw, he was still bullied due to his incident in the Great Hall, as well as for his strange way of speaking and his intellect.

As for his little group on the train, they were the only tolerable ones. Others would become entrapped by misconceptions, rumours and lies, something that he had no patience for.

Speaking of which—

"You'd like to spend time with me?"

Brianna blushes, fidgeting slightly. "U-Uhm, yes…"

London blinks. "...All right," he says awkwardly, drawing his attention back to Professor Quirrel.

London found Professor Quirrel rather...odd. What was someone with such a horrible stutter and lack of confidence doing teaching children? It'd likely be torture to the professor.

Immediately after Defense was over, London would disappear.

Or, rather, he cast a small notice-me-not to avoid attention and made his way to the library.

* * *

"Thanks for coverin' me earlier, Min," says Stef.

"I mean, it's part of the deal!" replies Min cheerily.

"I hope you don't intend to use our alliance in such idiotic ways so often," Simone butts in, with her no-nonsense expression. "I won't be getting you out of detention, McKendrick."

"You won't need to," Stef answers, rolling her eyes. "I gotta go hang, see ya."

As Stef left, Simone blinked. "Hang from what?"

Stef makes her way down the halls when she collides with someone.

"Oi!" Stef snaps, before blinking.

It's the Boy Who Lived, the Muggleborn Fuzzball, and Carrot Top, and she'd run straight into them. Well, she'd collided with Boy Who Lived, and now the other two were glaring at her.

They'd met during flying lessons— prepare for some nostalgia;

Stef had been totally chill, ready to fly, and so was Caleb. They were just, again, chilling together with their school-issued brooms, when Longbottom did some dumb shit and broke his body.

"Who's that kid?" Stef had asked while Hooch began to escort him to Pomfrey.

"Neville Longbottom," Caleb replied. "Wimpier than I am, but he's a good kid, I think. Seems nice. I'm not exactly sure where the bravery kicks in, though I'm not one to talk."

Stef rolled her eyes. "Dude, confidence."

"Hush. He gets picked on a lot like...right now, Malfoy's being a—"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Patil snapped. The Slytherins were being douches, again, and Stef was so sick of it.

Then Malfoy picked up Neville's Remembrall.

Stef groaned and began to step in because Malfoy wasn't making Slytherin come off too well when Potter stepped up.

And now it was a frickin' fight between houses, and Stef has to be a bitch. Great, Malfoy.

"Sorry, Caleb," she muttered in advance.

Caleb facepalmed. "Stef, please don't."

And the moment Potter's feet left the ground, so did Stef's.

Stef had been playing with brooms for years; writing theories on how to make them for when she was older. She knew how to use a broom- and she was good at it. She watched their bitch fight go down, and when Malfoy threw the Remembrall, she shoved him off his broom.

Of course, she wasn't trying to kill or maim him (as much as she wanted to), so she caught him and his broom, landed, and shoved him to the ground.

Malfoy was stammering. "I- h-how? My f-father will-"

"Oh shush, you brought this upon yourself. How dare you? You aren't making a good name for us, you aren't fit to be Slytherin, Mouth boy."

"How dare you—!?"

"No!" Stef snaps. "How dare you!? You've just thoroughly damaged my pride in our house, as well as our reputation! What are Slytherins known for? Cunning! You see, it isn't cunning when you challenge the frickin' wizarding world's messiah while bullying! I'm going to—" Stef took a sharp breath in before her face contorted into a sickly sweet smile. "Sweetie, you and I will be having words, now McGonagall's here, act innocent. Or is that too difficult for you?"

And now she was known as the girl who saved Malfoy. His friend.

Ew. As if.

"Yo, might wanna watch out, lots 'o students rounding corners, y' know."

"You watch it! You're the one who ran into him!" snaps Weasley.

"Oh, yeah! My manners! Sorry 'bout that then," she says, smiling sheepishly. "We ran into each other. I wasn't trying to tackle you or anything."

"Why are you acting pleasant?" Potter blurts abruptly.

Stef blinks. "Uh. Is it a crime?"

"I mean…no, but, it's just…"

"You're Slytherin!" finishes Weasley, gesturing at her uniform.

Stef frowns. "Well, that's mean and prejudiced, judging me by the colour of my tie. Here I thought you were better than Malfoy."

As she walked away, she hears Potter ask what prejudice means. For the first time ever, she's the smart kid! Ha! That time around those nerds paid off.

And it seemed as though her nice-girl charade worked. Hopefully, the bad Slytherin reputation won't hinder her progress.

* * *

The group studied together. They studied. Wink wink.

"My brain is dying," Caleb groans, slamming his head against the table.

"Don't do that!" hisses Stef. "But seriously, can we take a break for like, ten seconds. I need it before the rest of my brain cells melt."

"So, Bri! I hear you get on with Snape! How do you do it!? He hates me! He hates everyone!" Caleb whines.

Brianna giggles slightly. "I don't know what you mean. I just learn."

They all knew that Snape, for some reason, tolerates Brianna. They weren't completely sure why, but the girl was kind and soft but stubborn and hard working. She'd set her sights on Snape the moment she'd arrived, and was determined to befriend him as much as she could with the age difference.

"Nah, man. You pursued him and it worked. Somehow," says Stef.

Brianna smiles. "He just seemed so sad."

"Pissy, more like."

"Professor Quirrel…" London mumbles quietly.

The others turn to him.

"What about Professor Quirrel?" Brianna asks.

"I mean, there's just something so… off about him, y' know?" Stef says. "He's hiding something behind that big fat turban, I know it."

Caleb nods. "I gotta agree. I spend lots of time looking at people, but he acts like there's always someone else there, someone else watching, and he talks to himself a lot. But not in the normal way, like having an actual conversation with himself."

"That is weird," London agrees. "But leave it alone. It isn't your problem."

Brianna nods hesitantly. "Y-Yeah, he seems really nice. Maybe a bit nervous, but so am I…"

"Yeah, but, remember that forbidden corridor?" Caleb questions.

Stef nods. "Yeah! That was really weird, too. Why would they do that?"

"Maybe it has something to do with Quirrel's weirdness?"

"Okay, both of you," London interjects, "stop. Don't put your noses where they don't belong. I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense."

Caleb and Stef exchange a look, and London knows that they'd ignore him.

London sighs. "Look, this theory- this idea you have of Quirrel's anxiety being relative to the corridor is absolutely—" he cuts off abruptly, eyes glazing over.

"...Uh, London?" Stef blinks, snapping her fingers. "Lonnie? Hello?" She waves her hand in front of his face.

"I-Is he okay..?" Brianna asks worriedly, biting her nails.

Caleb taps London's shoulder and he seemingly comes back to the present.

"Are you okay, London?" Caleb questions, concerned. "Do you need to see Madame Pomfrey?"

London blinks. "...No. No, I'm fine. Anyways, it's baseless. Your idea. I…" he pauses. "I have to go, please excuse me."

"London, wait-"

"I'm sorry to cut this off so abruptly, but I really must be leaving," London says quickly, gathering his things.

Stef frowns, standing up. "Hey, man, wait…"

But before Stef can finish, London is gone.

"Well… that was weird." Stef sighs. "But there's nothing we can do 'bout that. Cal, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Caleb nods, refocusing on Stef. "Yeah, and I have an idea, but we'll need Brianna's help."

"Me?" Brianna blurts incredulously. She coughs. "Um… I mean, why me?"

Caleb smiles. "You're good with potions. Do you think you could brew a potion that can trick Madame Pomfrey into thinking Stef and I are sick, but not sick enough to render a stay in the medical wing?"

"I could… but that's a very specific criterion to find, and I'm only a first-year…"

"I think I might know someone who can help with that," Stef states.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" asks Stef.

"I think that you're up to something and I don't want part of it," snaps Simone, arms crossed.

"Come on! It's an alliance, help me out!"

"I won't help you out if it has chances of getting me expelled or suspended, McKendrick."

"Please, Horowitz, I'll owe you a favour."

Simone scoffs. "Yeah, like you could give me anything. I doubt you're from a family of note."

Stef clenches her jaw before leaning in closely to Simone. "Ever heard of Stuart and Isobel McKendrick?" she whispers, eyes dark.

Simone pulls away, eyes wide with surprise. "I…" Simone's eyes close. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"If you won't do this as a favour, do it as repayment," Stef says lowly. "You owe them that much."

* * *

"Are you Brianna Pierson?" A girl with thin-framed glasses and freckles approaches Brianna from the crowds, finding seats at their house tables.

"I-I am, yes?" Brianna squeaks shyly, adjusting her sleeves nervously. "Y-Y-You are..?"

"A friend," the girl states blandly, before dropping a thick book with a page marked on the table in front of her. With the book out of her arms, Brianna can see a green tie tucked neatly into her uniform vest. A Slytherin?

"Wh-What's this?" Brianna questions.

The girl tilts her head. "A recipe," she replies simply. "Courtesy of McKendrick."

Brianna blinks, looking down at the book. "Thank you…-" she begins to say, but when she looks back up, the girl is gone. She sees the other Hufflepuffs staring at the tome curiously, so she clumsily stuffs it into her bag. She turns to scan the Slytherin table, but the blonde-haired girl had already blended into the crowd.

She bites her lip.

What kinds of people does Stef know? Cunning and ambitious were the house's main traits, and while she could see Stef's ambition from a mile away, maybe she'd been blind to her cunningness.

That worries her.

* * *

"I-I di-did it…" Brianna murmurs to Stef and Caleb, holding the cauldron in her hand. Stef reaches out to take it, but Brianna pulls away. "Wait. Y-You aren't going into the forbidden corridor, are you?" Brianna asks, trembling slightly. "Th-That's dangerous…."

Caleb's brow furrows; he's horrible at lying. But before he can even open his mouth, Stef speaks.

"Don't worry, Bri," Stef says softly. "We're just gonna tail Quirrel for a while, and maybe hang out in the kitchen. Don't worry."

"O-Okay." Brianna nods, handing Stef the cauldron. "I think this is ridiculous, s-so… Don't get caught."

"We won't," Caleb assures because they won't get caught. He's sure of it.

Brianna sighs. "S-So, don't take large doses of this, or you'll get sick for r-real. Only a tablespoon is necessary, and you'll show symptoms that'll have Pomfrey sending you to your dorms. B-But she'll likely check up on you two every hour, s-so I don't think this idea is the best… Anyways, effects will last for an hour or two, any longer and you should be worried…"

"Don't worry, Brianna. We got this."


End file.
